As Akinfeev became the hero of the World Cup – Sports Mail.Ru

The undefeated goalkeeper and captain of the Russian national football team Igor Akinfeev at the world championship at home has finally eliminated the image of the eternal losing major tournaments (at least for a moment) and showed that he was able to draw the national team. In general, it is a turning point for the 32-year-old goalkeeper

In July 2017, during the third qualifying round of the Champions League against AEK, for the first time since November 2006, he was born Was not missed (2: 0) lack of "dry" games, The same year, the goalkeeper for the first time in six years did not leave CSKA Moscow in group stage, but was pbading the League Champions in the Europa League, where he reached the quarter-finals

and Akinfeev did not become a universal laughing stock, as many feared, but, on the contrary, showed a high level of play and forced fans to sing their names not with derision, but with sincere respect.

The absurd press mistakes The entire career of Akinfeev is a successful career, replacing people's memory with excellent stops and sometimes leaving only a negative impression of his playing

Thus, at the 2014 World Cup, the goalkeeper was unable to keep the ball in his hands. Korea Lee Gyeong Ho and gave the opponent an easy goal.

This meeting ended with a draw (1: 1), and Russia lost the most important points and could not leave the group. and did not help after much Islenyev error partner in the defense (the national team once stopped in the stage stage stage). And at the Confederations Cup – 2017, the goalkeeper himself was singled out for the less good side.

In the decisive match of the group stage with Mexico, where the Russians needed a win, Igor Lt. Irwin Lozano shot an empty shot

On the eve of the Cup World, many supporters have doubted the need to leave the guardian under the door

.

Anatoly Vorobyev, former secretary general of the Russian Football Union (RFU), in an interview with Gazeta.ru, explained his point of view as follows:

"The World Cup is a tournament where very reliable people have to perform, Despite the monstrous error of Akinfeev in the match against South Korea at the 2014 World Cup and his mistake in the Confederations Cup – 2017 in the match against Mexico I think he has his limit of such accidents already exhausted.

The World Cup will be Akinfeev's tournament, in which he will prove to all detractors that he is the number one goalkeeper and worthy heir of Lev Yashin, Rinat Dasayev and others.

Stanislav Cherchesov, head coach of the national team, also

At the World House, the goalkeeper left behind memories dark of unexplained mistakes in the past and played as it usually does for CSKA Moscow – with confidence, by experience, reliably.

avit completely different impression something is cautious viewers have come to expect from Akinfeev at major tournaments. Some Russians who do not particularly follow the ups and downs of the Russian Premier League have even opened their eyes: it turns out that the team has a good goalkeeper who has had to deal with psychological problems.

believe that in the season of 2017/18 and its summer pursuit Akinfeev has closed all his gestalts and is now ready to gain a foothold in the new favorite status of the Russian general public.

Stable defense game

The game of the Russian national team generally leaves something to be desired The Akofeeva failed in previous years. For example, the same Mexican goal Lozano in the Confederations Cup arrived in many ways not only because of the [playmaladroitdugardiendebutalasout but also because the defense allowed to pbad a long pbad to left his captain with him one to one

What was happening in the defense of the Euro 2016, I do not even want me in memory

Then all the team could stay in the middle while Wales was quietly counter-attacking.

At the World Football Championship-2018, a miracle occurred, which nobody expected: the

Not without reason, the Russian national team, even after its relegation in the quarterfinals, maintained his leadership in the statistical indicators of actions in defense.

National players have committed 259 defensive actions – the total amount includes withdrawals, selections and also goalkeeper saves, which obviously make a smaller part here.

When not meeting the strongest rivals like Saudi Arabia and Egypt, the defense left Akinfeev to all, so there was almost no

in the match against Uruguay, a failure occurred (0: 3), but this meeting decided nothing in terms of entering the playoffs in and the team operated without several key players, including two

In the confrontation with Spain at the stage of the 1/8 finals, the defense again prevented the attackers from attacking Akinfeev: the only goal of the "red furies" was the result of the unsuccessful blow of the ball in the heel of Sergei Ignashevich – a goal against his camp

In the rest, the defense closed his PC

Series of penalties

And, of course, the most important factor important that Akinfeev could win the love of many fans was his prowess in the penalty shootout against the Spaniards in 1/8 of f Inal, then and against the Croats – in 1/4

Playing on the ribbon, the close rescue is usually the strong side of the CSKA goalkeeper, and shots on goal are no exception.

Before playing with the Croatian national team, he never lost 11-meter series, having won five wins in a row.

However, in this lost series, Akinfeev made an excellent stoppage after the impact of Mateo Kovacic in the lower right-hand corner, and without the catastrophic execution of the shots of Fyodor Smolov and Mario Fernandez, l & rsquo; Russian team would have every chance of reaching the semi-finals

. In a series with the Spaniards Igor reflected both shots – from the middle "Atletico" Koke and the attacker "Celta" Iago Aspas

After that, even the meme with the image of the keeper at l & # 39; 39; image of the multi-armed Shiva appeared in ] fan zones across the country People sang "Our Holy Akinfeev" in the manner of the Seven Nations Army.

Conclusions

At the world championship at home, Akinfeev showed his usual level of play, familiar to those who follow the Russian championship and managed to avoid unexpected nonsense.

In addition, two series playoffs were formed in such a way that the Russian team was forced to beat the penalty shootout, in which the goalkeeper managed to prove himself in all his glory [19659002] It remains to be hoped that Igor keeps the confidence accumulated in the career years will demonstrate that a game, completely forgetting the monstrous errors of the past.

Elvira Harunova